Asking for a Friend - Health, Fitness & Personal Growth Tips for Women in Midlife

Ep.135 April Ibarra on Navigating Elder Care, Family Dynamics, and Empowering Caregivers

• Michele Henning Folan • Episode 135

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If you're a woman over 50, you likely find yourself facing the emotional and logistical challenges of caring for aging family members. Our guest, April Ibarra, a social gerontologist and my Faster Way client, is here to share her wisdom and guide you through this crucial journey. From teaching exercise classes in nursing homes to helping companies with health and wellness, April's path led her to her true passion—elder care advising. Now, she’s dedicated to helping families like yours navigate the complexities of aging.

In this conversation, we delve into the unique burdens often carried by women over 50, including the delicate balance between respecting an older adult's autonomy and recognizing when they may need more support. We discuss how caregiving can impact family dynamics—especially for daughters and daughters-in-law—and why mediation and listening are so important. April and I emphasize that you are not alone in this journey, and seeking support is essential.

As a caregiver, it’s easy to put yourself last. But self-care is key to being there for others. April shares her personal experience as a Faster Way client and how her holistic approach to health—focusing on nutrition, fitness, and sleep—helps her manage the demands of life while also aging well herself. We also discuss her new venture, Aging Advisor, which aims to empower families with the knowledge and resources they need to make informed decisions about elder care or caring for an ill partner.

If you're ready to take control of your health and caregiving responsibilities, join us for a conversation filled with compassion, practical advice, and insights that will help you approach these challenges with grace and confidence. Let April’s journey inspire you to take action—both for yourself and for your loved ones.

You can find April Ibarra at:
https://www.aprilibarra.com/
https://www.instagram.com/askaprilaboutaging/

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Are you ready to reclaim your midlife body and health? I went through my own personal journey through menopause, the struggle with midsection weight gain, and feeling rundown. Faster Way, a transformative six-week group program, set me on the path to sustainable change. I'd love to work with you! Let me help you reach your health and fitness goals.
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Michele Folan:

Health, wellness, fitness and everything in between. We're removing the taboo from what really matters in midlife. I'm your host, Michele Folan, and this is Asking for a Friend. If you're a woman over 50, you may have already experienced the emotional and physical toll of caring for aging or ill parents, or perhaps another family member. It's not something that can be fully prepared for, especially when it comes to the strain it places on you as well as the broader family. Trying to balance caregiving responsibilities with an already busy life can feel overwhelming, and if you don't have siblings to share the load, it can become even more daunting. Beyond caretaking, you may also be faced with managing the logistics of long-term care or preparing for a loved one's eventual passing. The good news is there are resources out there to support families throughout the aging process, offering guidance when navigating the many challenges that can arise. But the truth is, many of us aren't prepared to think about aging until it's right in front of us, and that's when we can get caught by surprise.

Michele Folan:

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome April Ibarra to the podcast. April is a social gerontologist who specializes in helping families navigate aging concerns, whether it's safety or the ability to live independently. She is also a client of mine and I'm excited to have her share her insights and her expertise. Welcome to the show, april Ibarra. Thank you, michelle, it's great to be here, nice to have you here, and I will say, april and I have been connected on social media for quite some time and then she became a client and then I learned more about what she does and I thought this is a topic we should really dive into, because I know April, a lot of my friends and even my family. We've been through this and so I think it's very, it's appropriate and very timely. Yeah, thank you. First of all, I would love for you to talk a little bit more about you, where you're from and kind of what your career path has been.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, thank you, michelle, and first of all thanks for giving this topic a voice. Like you said, we don't often think about it, but I have been trying, probably for the last 40 years, to get people thinking about aging, so I appreciate the opportunity to chat about it. So yeah, I grew up in this area, actually in the Ohio side, and moved to Kentucky about five years ago, so I'm a local gal born and raised and you know I started teaching exercise classes in a nursing home when I was probably about 19 or 20, before I even went to college. I was sort of a non-traditional college student. I was actually going through a divorce before I even went to college and my passion has never waived, so fitness and aging is kind of my vibe.

Michele Folan:

Okay.

April Ibarra:

Okay, this is good.

Michele Folan:

So where did you go from there then?

April Ibarra:

Yeah. So I really started off in wellness. I was working for a local hospital it was Bethesda, before it was TriHealth and I did corporate health and wellness programs. So not only did I work with retirees at organizations like General Electric, Procter Gamble, teaching them fitness programs, but also with current employees. So I always had that sort of dual focus One, how do we keep people healthy? And two, how do we work with older adults and keep them active, keep them social? Yeah, and then from there I transitioned more into a sales role, because I think I naturally gravitated towards that but always stayed in healthcare.

April Ibarra:

But then I was sort of at the top, talking about aging, working for organizations, helping them deliver products and services and you know, but really outside right, and I missed that contact that I had in the beginning of my career in working directly with older adults. So last year I got downsized from a corporate role and I took that opportunity to say I'm not done yet and, michelle, you know, this is exactly what you speak about is we can reach a point in your life. I turned 60. I got laid off from my corporate job. My husband retired from his job the very same week and he was thrilled I'm sitting there going from his job the very same week and he was thrilled I'm sitting there going I'm not done yet, yeah.

April Ibarra:

So I had an opportunity to start working for an elder law firm doing care management, and that's what I've been doing for the last year and I realized working directly with older adults and their families and guiding them on their aging journey is something I'm so passionate about. Them on their aging journey is something I'm so passionate about, so that's going to be my path until I'm no longer breathing Well.

Michele Folan:

first of all, you are such a passionate, energetic person and it's refreshing for one Number two. People are so lucky to have you. You're so caring and you know just to kind of hold their hand through this process because it can be so stressful.

April Ibarra:

Very stressful for everyone, and every family situation is different. Every older adult is different, but the approach is all the same. You listen, you provide compassion and support, you respect individual preferences, which I think is very important, and by that I mean older adults often can become invisible. I've done a lot of work on ageism and it starts with us right, yeah, we often are the worst to say I'm too old for that, I can't wear this, I can't do that, and my reaction to that is bull, it's never too late. It's never too late.

Michele Folan:

In your intro I said you're a social gerontologist.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, that's so interesting. So the role itself I went to Miami of Ohio and did my undergrad in health promotion and wellness and aging and then went on to get my master's in gerontology, all while working full time Talk about the untraditional. But by the time I got done with that, like 12 years later, I had a lot of experience right, because I wasn't just going to school, I was working, I was applying, so and I had the opportunity with that gerontology master's to be a nursing home administrator and to go sort of really down that route. And I did not want to do that.

April Ibarra:

I'm a big fan of aging in place. I think there's lots of resources for people but you know, in terms of institutions, but they are still institutions and I think we can age in place by staying healthy and being prepared for aging experience. So I did not want to be a nursing home administrator. I knew I wanted to take a more holistic and wellness path. But the difference but what a social gerontologist is actually is more of a holistic approach of looking at the aging experience. So I think that's a good thing as a care manager, because I don't look at just a clinical aspect If a nurse comes into the room, they're certainly going to say your diabetes is unmanaged, you need to quit smoking because you have COPD.

April Ibarra:

Whatever the situation might be, I'm going to look at the person, yeah, and I'm going to say what is your life like and what can we vary based on your preferences and your goals and your beliefs, to make your life the best possible, highest quality of life, regardless of where you are in the aging journey. So I think I look more holistically at that and so that's sort of the approach that I've taken and now I'm kind of full center. I'm all the way back. Could be retired, refuse to retire. We'll do this until again, I'm not breathing because the need is incredible and what I get back from it is unbelievable.

Michele Folan:

Well, here you are in the midst of all these baby boomers. So you and I are, in that last year baby boomers, which is kind of proud of that. For some reason, I'm like I'm a boomer, you know? Yell it loud. Yeah, I know Right. And so Yell it loud. Yeah, I know right. And so there's so many of them. Number one, right. So there's just a ton of need, first of all. And then I'm curious, as an aging advisor to families, how do you work with them?

April Ibarra:

That's a good question. And when I said everyone is different, essentially they are, but essentially we're all the same right? Human beings just need support. Really, I think most of it is support and compassion, but they need direction.

April Ibarra:

So, first of all, I always will start with my client is the older adult. Now, it's usually the family who picks up the phone and says we're in a crisis. Dad has dementia, mom isn't doing well at home, she's physically frail. We have no idea where to go next. So it is traditionally a crisis. But I will always start with who is the older adult. What is their opinion, what do they need and where are they now on their journey and where do we expect it to go in the future? Right, because we're not just looking at a segment in time. We're really looking at what's going on now. What's this crisis? And it could be a hospitalization, maybe it was a fall, a new diagnosis, something like that. But then you know where do we go with this. How do we calm things down now? Help you understand what's going on in that situation, because it is overwhelming.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, and you would think, as you said, we've got all these baby boomers. It's no surprise. Our nation is aging. We've known this for years and I keep thinking are we ready? We're not ready, no, we are not ready, and I think it's mostly because people don't want to talk about it. So thank you, michelle, for talking about it.

April Ibarra:

I am always happy to talk about it and you know, it's that fear of the unknown and sort of putting our head, you know, in a cloud and saying, well, we'll deal with that later. But that really ends up creating many, many, many more problems. So I start with the individual, focusing on their needs, and safety is number one. I mean, first of all, if it's an unsafe situation, if somebody has dementia, they're wandering or they have a serious illness, they can't take care of themselves let's fix the crisis and then let's look to the future. How can we make this person still whole in how they approach their day-to-day life? And how do I support the family, often to understand that, yeah, that's a lot to chew, because it's two different customers I have.

Michele Folan:

Well, the reason I'm smiling is and I know you have two different customers, and the family I bet is usually the more difficult of the customers and the family I bet is usually the more difficult of the customers they can be.

April Ibarra:

Well, and because and, michelle, you've kind of gotten to know me a little bit you know I'm passionate but I'm also very direct and I call myself the field commander Actually, my husband calls me that but I can take a situation and start to break things down and make them manageable, calm the situation and meet everyone's needs as best as possible. But families are looking at the situation through their own lens and I understand that and I never. I respect them tremendously for where they are in the journey, but they're thinking I'm worried about mom. I want to fix this. The older adults like get off my back. I'm a grown person, yeah, and that's my number one priority is them as an individual and as a person.

April Ibarra:

And at no point in our life are we no longer exempt for making bad decisions or making mistakes. And my only sort of caution in that area is if somebody is incapacitated from a cognitive standpoint, then certainly we have more room to make their decisions for them. That's a totally separate thing. But if somebody is older and maybe they're, you know, they're aging and, yeah, they're not managing their diabetes so well, they're not exercising, they refuse to shower, I mean all these things. Well, so what Big deal? What do we need to worry about and what do we need to accept? So I like kind of working those things and I've enjoyed working with the families and I think they appreciate the support that I give, because I don't really, I just help them to understand the realities, all right.

Michele Folan:

What if I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but what if family members are not all on the same page? How do you manage when there is that fighting and fighting or that kind of nasty disagreements between parties?

April Ibarra:

Yeah, that's so normal. And I think, first of all, let's understand that families are complicated, right, and I always say you know we're taking care of your loved ones, but you know, I caution that with we often have a complicated relationship with our family, right, you may not have a great relationship with mom or dad. It could have been tough, right, and now they're older, so you know you got to look at it that way. So I just listen to everyone's point of view and bring it all back to the circle of what we're trying to do, which is, whatever our goal is for that older adult, right, are they safe to stay at home? Can they manage on their own? Is it okay if dad's dating now that mom has passed away?

April Ibarra:

Whatever, you know, the scenario is you put the client in the middle of it and all agree upon the goal of what we're trying to accomplish, and then just break it down and then sometimes you just have to accept that. You have to accept what is right, right, yeah, and so I think it's just working with families, listening to everyone, giving everyone a voice and understanding that we all are looking through the situation from our individual lens and that's okay. You know, mary may not understand that her brother, who lives two states away. He never does anything for mom and I'm the primary caregiver, but he does care. He just doesn't know how to help, right? So it's all about really just mediation and listening. Everyone needs to feel heard and understand that they have their own pain or worries about the situation.

Michele Folan:

And everybody has their own way of approaching these types of stresses, conflicts, and that sort of thing.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, yeah, it's normal.

Michele Folan:

We're all a little crazy, but that's normal and my brother and I are both here. My brother was really helpful and great emotional support, but my sisters were great. Even though they were many states away, I always felt like they were there with me because they were offering me a lot of moral support when my mom was sick.

April Ibarra:

Absolutely Everybody has something to contribute. But yes, you're right, there will traditionally be one person who does the primary caregiving and that is traditionally the female of the family, the daughter or the daughter-in-law, and there's a lot of people caregiving and it's a gift. Certainly, most people would say I wish I had never had to do that. Most people are so grateful to get to do it. But in the middle of it, while you're also raising children, working and then trying to manage a very complicated healthcare system, it can be overwhelming. But you don't have to do it alone. There's a lot of people to help and there's a lot of support if you're willing to ask for it.

Michele Folan:

April, we're going to take a quick break and when we come back, I want to talk a little bit about self-care. As 2025 approaches, human nature and tradition prompts us to start looking ahead at goals for the new year. We tend to gravitate toward health goals, many of which may have been on the list for 2024. But that's okay. This year can be different, maybe if we have an option that caters to the changing needs of midlife women. That is not only effective with macro-based nutrition and daily 30-minute workouts for any fitness level, but science-backed methods that are sustainable. It's called Faster Way.

Michele Folan:

Let's take away the fear of failing one more diet, buying the supplements that didn't work or having the same New Year's resolutions year after year. Are you ready to commit to you? Make this the sweetest gift that you give yourself this year. My next round starts January 6th, so you can get ahead of the game with free access through the new year by signing up now. If you have questions, please reach out. See the show notes for details. Welcome back everyone. So, april, you brought up something before we went on break about. It's stressful and we're trying to also lead busy lives and that sort of thing. I want to talk a little bit about self-care, and how would you counsel someone on self-care and being good to themselves when they're in the midst of caregiving?

April Ibarra:

Yeah, Well, first of all, I'd remind them that it's not an indulgence, it's a requirement. And self-care can seem luxurious, right, but even taking 10 minutes for yourself, stepping away from a situation that has gotten you very stressed out. Maybe you've told your mom 17 times the same thing and she doesn't listen or she can't comprehend. You just have to sometimes step away. But there's also a lot of spouses caring for other spouses and so you know it can be a very chronic situation and you just have to be. If you're not available to help them because you're not refused to do good things for yourself, you're only hurting yourself and your loved one.

April Ibarra:

So that time is important, whether that's taking a walk, reading a book, getting somebody in, so you've got a little bit of respite, a little bit of a break exercise. Of course you know I'll come back to that, because what a stress buster that is. But you have to balance. We're usually in it for the long haul. So you know I'll come back to that, because what a stress buster that is, but you have to balance. This is, we're usually in it for the long haul. So you know, a little bit of time for yourself is an investment in the future and it's really not negotiable. And if you don't ask for help or you're not willing to take those breaks, well, shame on you. It's your own damn fault. And I will say it like that because nobody's willing to say, oh, I can't handle this anymore. But what have you got to prove? You've got nothing to prove.

Michele Folan:

And your health is important in this journey. You brought up something that we're into that age now where we may be caring for a spouse, yeah, and there's early onset dementia and chronic diseases and things that are sneaking in here and you forget that. Yeah, we may be in that boat here, right?

April Ibarra:

I'm seeing a lot of that, a lot of couples who are having to make some very, very difficult decisions for what's in the best interest of that person who is failing, but also for themselves, and so I admire the strength to be able to make a decision that is so difficult. I mean, I've had couples who have been married for 50 years and the husband has had to place the wife in a nursing facility because of advanced dementia. But you know, he spent three years with her living very significantly with dementia at home, and he could no longer physically do it because he's elderly too. So it's okay, that's what these resources are for, but it's not easy.

April Ibarra:

I'm never going to say to anybody oh, you know, she's okay, you'll be okay, it's not okay. It's a hard road and I think the more we can be prepared the better, because things do happen.

Michele Folan:

Yeah, and there's that guilt. I think, oh, I've given up. You know I can't do this anymore, I'm unable to do it. But you go back to the safety piece and the real ability to like who are you serving here and it, oh gosh, I can't even imagine what a tough decision that is.

April Ibarra:

The couple has children. The children are watching both of the family members the mom and dad decline because maybe one has dementia, the other one has physical declines and that toll of the stress just is so daunting for both of them. So that's the point we have to accept the realities. And you know we've talked a lot about dementia today, because dementia is one of the game changers that it makes it impossible to ignore that we need help. Yeah, we can hide the physical things.

April Ibarra:

Right House isn't as clean as it used to be. The refrigerator's kind of got some old food in it, mom left something on the stove and it burnt those types of things that we can hide those quite well, and most people do. But then they hide them to the point where the end result is so much worse Because if we could have gotten help a little bit quicker, maybe things wouldn't have ended up the way. And I have seen legal situations occur where people just could no longer live safely at home, because when we finally got a look at what was going on inside the house it was so bad. So we don't have to wait for that. Let's keep our eyes and our hearts open and understand what is normal and what is not normal.

Michele Folan:

You know I don't want to go down A rabbit hole, but I will tell you, since we were talking about dementia, very interesting statistic I learned recently from a guest on the podcast was 50% of dementia cases are preventable.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, Our lifestyle plays a huge role. People do not understand. And, Michele, I think that's why you and I clicked, because we're both on a health journey and it is a journey. It's not a diet, it's not I'm getting ready for big cruise or a class reunion. I'm in it to win it, because when I get older, I want to minimize. You can't change, but I can minimize and prevent a lot of disease and disability by just getting your butt moving.

April Ibarra:

And when I started teaching exercise classes in a nursing home, you know, and here I am, I'm a whippersnapper, according to these people. I'm like 19 years old. I'm teaching people who are 80 and 90. And I'm saying how many of you want help getting on and off the toilet? And that's what I would ask these groups and they would look at me like what are you kidding? I said the fact that you need help with activities of daily living, like bathing and dressing and grooming, has nothing to do with age. It is strength, it's endurance, it's flexibility and we can fix that. Yeah, you know. So that kind of get that. Talk about functional medicine.

Michele Folan:

Yeah, well, you know the other day. So the first bone that women tend to fracture are their wrists. You know there's already and I thought hmm, so if I fell and I broke my fall with my hands and I broke both of my arms or my wrists and I'm on the floor, can I get myself up without using my hands? And so I was down in the basement, I had my mat and I did it right, but I'm not sure if two years ago, I would have been able to do it that way, right. And so there are things that we can do. Like you keep saying, it's never too late to start working on these things. So you have your own personal aging journey here, and I'd love for you to share a little bit more about that with listeners.

April Ibarra:

Sure, sure, yeah, quick note too. I used to. For years about 10 plus years I worked for the company Lifeline, the medical alert company, and I would go all over the country talking about fall prevention. And I would throw myself on the country talking about fall prevention and I would throw myself on the floor in the middle of an audience and say, now let's learn how to get up from a fall. And it would just crack these older people up.

April Ibarra:

But the truth is, yeah, you do have to practice. And what does it take? Core strength, upper body strength. So, yeah, I turned 60 this year and I felt pretty darn good. I mean, I've been exercising since I was 12. But, honestly, exercise has been the main part. I've always been very physically active. I'm not functioning if I'm not moving.

April Ibarra:

But then this year I realized I've got to be a little bit more holistic and I'm going to have to tie in the nutrition part right. And I think I've always been good at the exercise, the stress management. I love yoga and meditation, but, quite frankly, nutrition was my weak point. So, Michele, I reached out to you this year after I came back from a two-week cruise celebrating my birthday, going all through Italy and Greece and eating till my heart's desire. And on that trip I decided you know, I've been watching you on social media for a while I thought I'm going to reach out. I don't know what this is all about, but I need a, you know, a little jump start in my 60th year and I had no idea how much I was going to benefit. I just didn't think I had anything left to learn because I've been doing this for so long. Sure, you have, but I am.

April Ibarra:

I'm hooked on a couple things. One I love the workouts because I think they are efficient and effective. I was one of these people that spent a lot of time at the gym. Now I can spend less time but, I think, be more efficient. And then, with the nutrition, I've just changed in how I look at food.

April Ibarra:

To be honest with you, and I don't know, I didn't say, okay, I'm going to have this diet for six months or six weeks or whatever. I just said I threw my scale. Actually, I took it over at Goodwill, I donated it and I did, I mean, and I just threw it in the trunk and I said I'm out, because I was really irritated every day getting up on that scale and seeing the weight and I thought that's, you know, that's got to go. So this program really has helped me just learn to have a good relationship with food and make everything that I put in my mouth be accountable.

April Ibarra:

And, of course, now I think we are in a new phase of what's going on in the world in terms of make America healthy again. I have to say, whatever you think about that, I'm excited because I've been waiting for this for years. Everything that I've done is about wellness and nobody really seemed to be interested. But now we're looking at the chemicals that are in our food. We're looking at how processed things are. So I'm like man, I feel totally re-energized and I want to talk to everybody about it.

Michele Folan:

Yeah, I love this because you know I first of all thank you for that it's really never too late. Again, back to that whole thing, to to learn about nutrition, to change some of our habits. We know food is not the same as it was when we were growing up, and so it's forcing us to make some different choices when it comes to what we're putting in our mouths. I think from the fitness piece, you were already doing a lot of the things right and you made that point that these workouts are way more efficient. You know they're 30 minutes long, but a lot of them are full body and you're getting a lot of the weight bearing exercise that we need.

April Ibarra:

I feel more fit now than I ever have been and I don't know if I'm losing weight, because I threw out the scale and I haven't measured in a while. But I don't really care because you know what, at the end of the day, if I'm losing weight because I threw out the scale and I haven't measured in a while, but I don't really care Because you know what, at the end of the day I'm doing all the things I need to do and everything else will fall into place.

Michele Folan:

Are you still tracking your food or are you just eyeballing it?

April Ibarra:

I am. I usually take Saturday and Sundays off of tracking, but otherwise, yeah, I am still tracking and I have been doing, actually, weekly 24 hour fast. I don't know if I should, but this was my pre Thanksgiving push, so every Monday I usually do a 24 hour fast. So, yeah, so I'm finding my own way. I think we talked about that a lot too. I mean, I love Italian and Mexican food, so I'm not a big fan of certain sort of healthy things, but, like today, I had grilled chicken with salsa verde and sliced avocado for lunch and that might be my meal today, because I might. I think I mean I'm not really hungry tonight. Then I probably will just wait till tomorrow and eat and then also gradually pick up as the week goes on.

Michele Folan:

Okay, so you're going to do 24 hour fast, then, starting tonight, and then okay.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, it works better for me on the fast to stop eating and like have my last meal at noon and then the next day at noon eat, because I can go overnight and I can go in the morning, but for some reason lunch is my meal. So if I eat a good lunch, I'm usually pretty good to go. And again, I have a different relationship with food I'm not obsessed with. Where are we going for lunch? What are we having for dinner? It's like what can I eat today?

Michele Folan:

And get on with it. And it's really, what am I going to eat? That's going to fuel me. And so I feel good now. And I feel good at 3 o'clock this afternoon Because that's one of the biggest things for me is listening to clients say oh my gosh, I'm not craving wheat thin crackers in the afternoon, I'm not wanting that big cup of coffee I was having every day for a snack, right, Right.

April Ibarra:

And even when you do splurge which I do because I think that's important Sure, I mean, it's important to just, you know, I like to reward myself, I work hard and I like that little reward, but you find that you just can't do the things you used to do. I mean, like I'll eat something. I think that really was not that great, and so that's the changes I love. Or I eat too much and it's like, no, I feel worse. So that's the benefit I think I've seen in probably the last three months is to be like, wow, I can make small changes. I'm still, you know, doing the things that I love. You know, I love my vodka. Gonna have a little vodka, I like some sweets, but I'm eating healthier and I'm enjoying it and I feel really good.

Michele Folan:

Yeah, I love it. So what advice would you give to others who may be on the fence into making the leap to really dig into improving their health?

April Ibarra:

I just try to show them what it can look like right, to be healthy. I think that's the best thing, because I learned a long time ago you can't force anybody to do something. They have to be ready for it. So I just I'm trying to lead by example. You know, people say, wow, you look great. Or wow, you, you've got a lot of energy. It's like, yeah, this is what I'm doing, because everybody has to take their own path.

April Ibarra:

But on the flip side of that too, as my friends who are the same age as me are getting older, I'm like ladies, what do you want your life to look like in the next 20 years? And you have got to strengthen yourself, you've got to exercise. So anybody gives me a little bit of a window to get in and talk about anything with them, I will do it. But I try to respect people's differences. But I think if I think people are are hungry for a healthier life, yeah, they really are it. Just sometimes they just don't think it's it. Oh, that's just not me. I can't do that. I'm like that's not true. That's not true at all.

Michele Folan:

That's probably one of the biggest pushbacks or concerns that I get is I won't be able to do the exercises. I don't work out now and I'm not going to be able to do the exercises. I'm like, listen, let's start with your food first. Yeah, you can start with chair exercises. We've got those too. Let's move yourself, Just get. Let's just get started. Walk down to the mailbox down on the corner and back right.

April Ibarra:

Actually that was always my advice with older adults. I said, just get up in the middle of a commercial break and, you know, walk around the house, get, you know, do some leg lifts while you're sitting there. My aunt is 82 now and she's really struggling and I'm getting her a Fitbit for Christmas because she says, well, I'm moving a lot and I'm like, no, you're not, and no, you're not, and she's really complaining about it. I said, well, you can complain about it or you can do something about it. It's not too late. You start moving a little bit in any way, shape or form, you are going to start to see a difference. But you don't just start. Even myself, doing those workouts, I was like I thought I'd zip right through them. No, I had trouble doing some of them and I thought, yeah, that's humbling.

Michele Folan:

That's humbling, but the beauty of it. You're in your house. There's no one there who cares? Who cares what you look like? Who cares if you're stumbling around?

April Ibarra:

You got to grab on to something it doesn't matter yeah. It doesn't matter, and walking is one of the best things you can do, so there's no excuse.

Michele Folan:

There's no excuse. The data I just put it in an Instagram post today because I got one of those weighted vests yeah, and as few as 7,000 steps a day reduces all-cause mortality by 60%. Yep, that is, that's huge. That's 7,000 steps.

April Ibarra:

I mean, the data doesn't lie. Yeah, and I just, I still have always, just never understood why people were so opposed to exercise. It's like man, people just hate it. So somewhere along the way it's gotten a bad reputation. But I think that's, I think it's, I think the times are changing.

Michele Folan:

Yeah, it is, I see it clearly. All right, april, what is one of your core pillars of self-care?

April Ibarra:

Sleep. Yeah, I mean, I think probably sleep. I'm in motion all day long, my brain and my body. You know, I am blessed with a lot of energy and I think it's just because I have drive and I get excited to do things. But boy, when it's time to shut down, I have two speeds on and off.

Michele Folan:

Somehow I can see that with you.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, so when I am resting, you know, to get under the covers with a good book and get a good night's sleep is precious, yeah, and healing. Yeah, I hear you, sister.

Michele Folan:

Yeah. What is on the horizon for you and your business? Yeah, so I am starting my for you and your business.

April Ibarra:

Yeah, so I am starting my own private practice for care management. Most people are familiar with the term geriatric care management. I don't like the word geriatric, so my company is called Aging Advisor, so I'm going to be offering that starting next month, rolling into 2025, really launching that to help families along their journey in any way that they need it, whether it's just hopping on the phone and saying is this normal, what should I do? Or I'm at the hospital and I don't know what to do. Can you come and help? Yes, I can.

Michele Folan:

Wonderful. What a great resource for people to have. I mean, you're like their partner, you're like an extension of their family in a lot of cases, right, and that's why I like the word advisor.

April Ibarra:

I really struggle with that. I don't want to be the care manager. Everybody has to make decisions for themselves. I'm not here to tell people how to live, what to do. I like to present the options, help them understand their choices and let people decide for themselves what's right for them and their family. So I thought advisor was the best way to present that?

Michele Folan:

Yeah, that's perfect. Yeah, so, april, where can the listeners find you? Aprilibaracom? Okay, so I'm going to put that in the show notes and you can find her on Instagram too. Yeah, aging with April.

April Ibarra:

Actually I'm updating all that, but ask April about aging.

Michele Folan:

Ask April about aging. Okay, that will also be in the show notes.

April Ibarra:

That's me, and I will tell you yes she will, I'll give.

Michele Folan:

I will tell you, yes, she will. I'll give it to you straight. Yes, she will. April Ibarra, thank you so much for being here today. This was fun. Thank you, michelle, it was great. Thank you Appreciate you. Hey, thanks for tuning in. Please rate and review the show where you listen to the podcast. And did you know that Asking for a Friend is available now to listen on YouTube? You can subscribe to the podcast there as well. Your support is appreciated and it helps others find the show. Thank you.